“Jo,” Snow said, a simple greeting. Despite the distance that had been growing between them, the word settled warm and comforting around her heart. It was almost enough to make her ask him to say her name again, to ask him to invite her back to his room so she could lean on him for support while she worked through all the kinks of her plan.
“Good morning,” she replied to the room at large, though she kept her eyes mostly on Snow. The brief, simple exchange seemed to give permission to everyone else to speak, and small chatter picked up.
Samson’s cooking was beyond good, yet again. But Jo found it slightly bitter. She wondered if it was her palate, or if his magic was breaking down further. . . wondered if it was still somehow her fault. Either way, best not to linger on things she couldn’t (yet) control.
Conversation was flowing more easily than it had in the past, the haze of Nico’s death finally lifting. Even if tensions remained high due to the wish, everyone was making an effort. Eslar was quick to inquire about Jo’s progress over the course of the night. She explained what she’d managed to accomplish so far, to the general confusion of the room, and told them of her plans for the rest of the day.
“I still have a lot to do, but my head feels clearer now,” she said, putting her fork down on her empty plate. Even with her stomach in knots, she’d managed to clean it. “Especially after a nice break and good food with better company to lift the spirits.” She smiled at Samson for good measure and then added, “Shouldn’t be long now I don’t think.”
“That’s good to hear,” Eslar said, mostly to himself. If Jo thought she heard surprise in his voice, she was probably just imagining it. It was no good getting worked up over something she didn’t even know to be true, especially when it came to her team’s faith in her. She would not fail, and she liked to think they didn’t doubt that.
“Do you plan to go right back to it then?” Takako asked, and Jo nodded.
But before she could speak up, Pan snatched control of the conversation.
“You two were at it for a while last night,” she said slyly.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jo was far too tired to indulge the woman and her games.
“Just surprised you managed to get any work done on the wish.”
Jo and Takako exchanged a look.
“Elaborate, Pan?” Eslar asked outright.
Pan’s whole face brightened at the opportunity to speak to someone other than Jo, eager to spill what she had clearly come to the table to talk about from the beginning.
“I just heard them talking and chatteringall nightis all,” she said dramatically, tossing her violet tresses over her spaghetti-strapped shoulders, massaging them for good measure. “They kept going on about mythology, or some such. I couldn’t make out all the details though.”
“What are you talking about?” Jo asked quietly, horror stealing the strength of her voice.
Pan’s cat eyes drifted back to her. “Josephina, the recreation room is right against mine.Of courseI know what goes on in there.”
That made no sense. None. Jo could list the reasons with the taste of metallic panic on her tongue.
The recreation rooms seemed to exist in their own reality. They took every shape and size, and did just as the occupant wanted. They were like a miniature version of the Society, inside the Society. There was no way that in all of those variations, Pan shared a wall—and a poorly soundproofed one at that.
“You came to me about mythology,” Eslar said, turning to Jo. “What are you getting into?”
“I’m not getting into anything,” Jo insisted.
“Then how is it related to the wish?” Snow’s voice cut through the chatter and drew her eyes to him and him alone. Just one look, and she ached. He knew something was amiss. She could see his suspicion and it damn near killed her.
But if it killed her, she was instantly reborn from the frustration of all the secrets he kept and continued to keep from them.
“I don’t question any of your processes; I’d appreciate it if you don’t question mine.” Jo raised her mug to her lips, taking a long sip of coffee and making eye contact with no one.
“You can question my process all day long!” Pan said with a giggle. “So tell me what you were doing in there, since we all know it wasn’t the wish.”
Jo stood, mug in hand. “It was the wish. In fact, I’m almost ready to go out and hack the Bone Carver. I just need to finalize a bit of code and I’ll be off.”
“Really?” Jo wished Takako could have sounded a little less surprised.
“Yes, really.”
“Are you certain, Jo?” Eslar asked skeptically.
“Yes, I got this.”
